Mumbai’s first citizen Dr Shubha Raul, after meeting a delegation representing city cobblers on Thursday, announced that she will champion their cause.
Fifteen-thousand cobblers in the city just found support in Mumbai’s first citizen Dr Shubha Raul. On Thursday, Mayor Raul, after meeting a delegation representing city cobblers, announced that she will champion their cause.
“Cobblers are presently accorded the status of a hawker and face a lot of problems while going about their business due to stringent hawking laws. Stitching and repairing people’s footwear must be viewed as an essential service,” she said.
The mayor also plans to write to the state government seeking modification in license laws for cobblers. “Cobblers must be present near crowded and frequently-visited areas like railway stations, market places. Areas must be identified where they can be allotted pitch licences to carry out their business.”
Earlier in the day, a 1,800-cobbler delegation led by Charamudyog Kamgaar Sena Chairman Chandrakant Kamble took a morcha to the Mantralaya before meeting the Mayor at her chamber. Kamble said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was neglecting the cobblers. “We are identified as hawkers and are not accorded licenses. They demand caste certificates, no objection certificates from the traffic police, among other things,” he said.
“The cobblers have no representation in the committee formed by the high court to look into accommodation of city hawkers.”
Kamble added, “Only in the BMC were cobblers being denied pitches.” Citing a Supreme Court order dated February 12 this year, which wanted separate licences for the cobblers, he said municipal corporations in Kalyan-Dombivli and Mira Bhayander had implemented the order while BMC was yet to act on it.
Kamble alleged, “Officials in the state government and the state-run Sant Rohidas Charamudyog Vikas Mahamandal were intentionally delaying disbursement of a loan of Rs15 crore allocated by the state towards setting stalls for cobblers. The loan was passed 10 months ago. Kamble feared the loan amount will lapse if unused and will be utilised for other purposes.
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